EDITORIAL 15 SEPTEMBER 2007 LAW ANIMATED WORLD
Don’t destroy the eco-heritage!
It may be called Rama Setu or Adam’s Bridge; people may really believe Lord Ram and his monkey army built it or that Adam passed over it to meditate on the Adam’s peak. Or may be as Karunanidhi lambasts it is just a piece of fiction from a myth that allegorically reflected the conflict between the Aryans and the Dravidians and Rama himself is but an imaginary character. But the point here is all experts agree that it is a chain of limestone shoals and coral reefs. All admit that it took several thousands of years for such a formation to emerge and it actually might have bridged the mainland with Sri Lanka a few thousands of years ago. The shallow waters now might have later engulfed this geological formation. And in the not-too-remote Tsunami disaster that devastated Nagapattinam and many other places in South India this natural barrier had effectively protected the southern shores of Kerala from its ravages. Moreover the Sri Lankan Government seems to be dead set against the destruction of this natural barrier through dredging. In such circumstances we also feel and opine it would not be wise or proper for the Government of India to go whole hog with the Setusamudram Project in the name of cutting down shipping expenses in future. Critics also see and decry American and multinational machinations in pushing forward this immensely costly project destroying our natural heritage. It is heartening to note that our Supreme Court has intervened by staying all dredging operations in connection with the project pending disposal of some cases before it. Hope the people in a non-communal and eco-protective manner exert the needed pressure on both the Central and Tamil Nadu Governments to desist from such destruction and explore alternative eco-friendly options for the Setusamudram Project ¨¨¨
It may be called Rama Setu or Adam’s Bridge; people may really believe Lord Ram and his monkey army built it or that Adam passed over it to meditate on the Adam’s peak. Or may be as Karunanidhi lambasts it is just a piece of fiction from a myth that allegorically reflected the conflict between the Aryans and the Dravidians and Rama himself is but an imaginary character. But the point here is all experts agree that it is a chain of limestone shoals and coral reefs. All admit that it took several thousands of years for such a formation to emerge and it actually might have bridged the mainland with Sri Lanka a few thousands of years ago. The shallow waters now might have later engulfed this geological formation. And in the not-too-remote Tsunami disaster that devastated Nagapattinam and many other places in South India this natural barrier had effectively protected the southern shores of Kerala from its ravages. Moreover the Sri Lankan Government seems to be dead set against the destruction of this natural barrier through dredging. In such circumstances we also feel and opine it would not be wise or proper for the Government of India to go whole hog with the Setusamudram Project in the name of cutting down shipping expenses in future. Critics also see and decry American and multinational machinations in pushing forward this immensely costly project destroying our natural heritage. It is heartening to note that our Supreme Court has intervened by staying all dredging operations in connection with the project pending disposal of some cases before it. Hope the people in a non-communal and eco-protective manner exert the needed pressure on both the Central and Tamil Nadu Governments to desist from such destruction and explore alternative eco-friendly options for the Setusamudram Project ¨¨¨
